Baba Siddique murder: Police arrest man believed to be link between shooter, mastermind
With this, the total number of arrests in the case has gone up to 11.
The Mumbai Police has arrested a man they claim is suspected to be an important link between the shooter and the mastermind in the killing of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique on October 12, PTI reported on Wednesday.
The man, identified as 29-year-old Amit Hisamsing Kumar, was arrested in Haryana on Tuesday evening and brought to Mumbai on Wednesday. His alleged role in the murder came to light when other accused persons were interrogated in custody, unidentified police officers told PTI.
Kumar was remanded in police custody till November 4. With this, the total number of arrests in the case has gone up to 11.
According to the officers, Kumar was suspected to be involved in planning and executing the murder. Certain financial dealings between him and others accused in the killing were also under investigation, the officers added.
Kumar was an important link between one of the shooters who was already in custody, Gurmail Singh, and the alleged mastermind behind the plot, Mohammed Zeeshan Akhtar, according to the officers. Akhtar is absconding.
Aside from Akhtar, Shubham Lonkar, who was allegedly a member of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's group, is also absconding. Lonkar claimed responsibility for the murder in a social media post. The man believed to be the main shooter, Shiv Kumar Gautam, is also absconding.
On Sunday, the police arrested 32-year-old Bhagwant Omsingh, a scrap dealer in Navi Mumbai’s Belapur, The Times of India reported. He was remanded in police custody till November 26.
Omsingh allegedly provided shelter to the shooters and facilitated the transport of their weapons, the newspaper quoted Public Prosecutor Randdhir Yelaave as saying.
Apart from Kumar, Singh and Omsingh, the others already arrested for the murder included Nitin Sapre, Ram Kanojia, Sambhaji Pardhi, Pradeep Thombre, Chetan Pardhi, Harishkumar Balakram, Shubam Lonkar’s brother Pravin Lonkar and another person who claimed to be a minor.
Siddique was shot dead allegedly by three men in Mumbai’s Bandra East area on the evening of October 12. The police have not yet established a motive behind the murder.